Giants’ bats help Cain earn win No. 8

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San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval, center, is congratulated by teammates Randy Winn, top right, and Freddy Lewis (14) after Sandoval's two-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 9, 2009, in Phoenix.

San Francisco Giants' Pablo Sandoval, right, and Kevin Frandsen (19) celebrate after the Giants' 9-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks after the final out in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 9, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Arizona Diamondbacks' Felipe Lopez, left, reaches out to apply a late tag to San Francisco Giants' Eli Whiteside, as Whiteside slides into second base with a double in the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 9, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 9, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

When the losses piled up for Matt Cain in seasons past, the key ingredients usually were walks, home runs and impossibly bad mojo.

This really must be a new year. On a rare night when Cain relapsed in the first two areas, the Giants’ bats shined good fortune on him. Pablo Sandoval had four of the club’s season-high 17 hits, including a two-run home run that put the Giants ahead as they overwhelmed the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 9-4 victory Tuesday night at Chase Field.

Cain (8-1), once the Charlie Brown of the staff, is finally getting to kick the football. He is tied for the National League lead in victories with Colorado’s Jason Marquis, the New York Mets’ Johan Santana and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Chad Billingsley.

“It has to do with the guys scoring runs and the bullpen saving games for me, keeping it in my favor,” said Cain, who walked five and surrendered two home runs in 6﻿1/3 innings. “It’s a credit to all the guys.”

Cain had traveled to Arizona ahead of the rest of the Giants, who played Monday night in Miami and raced the sunrise as they jetted cross-country. Yet they fought off fatigue as they ran the bases aggressively and kept sustaining rallies. Nobody looked fresher than Sandoval, who turned the game around in the fifth inning when he ripped a high fastball from Billy Buckner.

Does the Big Panda ever get tired?

“Oh, yeah, I’m tired right now,” said Sandoval, adding he slept just two hours because he had an early morning appointment to get his braces removed. “See? Looks good, huh?”

Sandoval fouled off two tough pitches from Buckner before the right-hander finally threw a fastball at the letters. Sandoval punished it an estimated 433 feet, admired its flight and even allowed himself a little flip of his bat.

“Yeah, I watched it, because I knew I got it,” Sandoval said. “But I ran the bases hard because I respect the pitcher. You’re tired, but that’s the key time in the game. I had to look for my pitch and I got it.”

Juan Uribe got one, too. He hit his first home run of the season in the second inning, and when he returned to the dugout, his teammates gave the old silent treatment to their motor-mouthed third baseman.

“He didn’t care,” Bengie Molina said. “He was dancing by himself. That’s what made us all laugh.”

The mood changed shortly after the Giants tied it in the third inning. Cain fell into bad habits, issuing a leadoff walk to Justin Upton and hanging a curveball to Stephen Drew that resulted in a two-run homer.

This time, the Sandoval-led offense bailed him out.

“Tonight demonstrated how much he has grown as a pitcher,” Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. “He could have caved in. It wasn’t going his way. But he gave us a gritty effort, and to be rewarded like this, you’re happy for him. He’s gotten himself in tremendous shape.”

Kevin Frandsen’s single in the second inning didn’t affect the outcome — he was thrown out trying for a double — but it might have been the most emotional hit of the night.

He snapped an 0-for-18 streak that was notable because it sprawled over three seasons.

Frandsen, who was limited to one at-bat in 2008 because of a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, had gone 618 days since his previous hit — a home run off the Dodgers’ D.J. Houlton on Sept. 30, 2007.

“I can officially thank all the doctors and trainers, because I got one back,” said Frandsen, who rejoined the team because Travis Ishikawa was placed on the bereavement list.

Frandsen is already getting greedy, but in a good way. He didn’t think his ball in the ninth should have been scored an error on pitcher Blaine Boyer.